Air-method electric cleaner and carpet sweeper



Oct. 10, 1939. D. B; REPLOGLE 25 AIR METHOD ELECTRIC CLEANER AND CARPET SWEEPER Original Filed March 26, 1935 Zhwentor attorney Woamim umrso STATES 2.1mm am-urrnon arncrarc cumin aim csm'r swamp Daniel Demon leplegle. Berkeley, Calif, a-igner teTheOhioCitiaensTrnstOem pany, Toledo,

Ohio. a corporation of Ohio. as trustee.

Original appiicationlarch as, 1035, Serial Ne. 13,164. Divided and this application December 10, 1'85, Serb! No. 55..

I Ciainu. (Cl. 15-) The invention relates to a cleaning maratus and more particularly to a portable electrically operated cleaner utilising the cleaning effect of swiftly moving air in combination with the cleaning action of a positively driven surface en aging member, preferably a revolving brush. Thus the apparatus combines the functions of an airmethod cleaner and a carpet sweeper.

The present application is a division of Patent 2,085,042, issued June 29, 1937.

Indesigningtheapparatusitismyaimtoa large extent to utilize standard and interchangeable parts, connections and the like, which are covered by my prior patents and which are included in what is known as the Air-Way" system, the term Air-Way being covered by reistered trade-mark.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a cleaner carrying an electrically actuated high speed centrifugal fan for producing suction in a floor tool or nozzle, an independent motor for operating a floor engaging member or brush within'the nozzle, and an improved driving mechanism interposed between the brush and motor, the parts being compactly and conveniently arranged.

Other objects of the invention will appear hereinafter by reference to the accomp ny m drawing and the following detailed description, in which various specific embodiments of the inventive thought are set forth byway of illustration, rather than by way of limitation.

In the drawing:

Figs. 1, 2 and 3 are respectively, top, side and bottom views of one form of the combined sweeper and cleaner embodying my invention and including a wire frame for supporting the dust collector bag;

Fig. 4 is a perspective detail view of a removable dust cap or valve with which the cleaner is equipped Wm employed for floor cleaning purl 'lg. 5 is a perspective view of an auxiliary cleaning attachment-or hose which may be substituted for the dust cap; and

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a hollow extension device or handle which may be used as part of the auxiliary cleaning equipment.

According to my invention, I provide ingcon-' nection with a suction cleaner, a floor tool including a suction chamber, a rotary agitator therein, a throat extending upwardly and rearwardly therefrom. a fan case at the upper end of the throat, a fan motor, extending downwardly and rearwardly from the fan case, and an agitator'drivingmotoroccupyingthespacebetween thefanmotorandthesuctionchamber,said suction chamberandmotorsbeing compactly arranged.

Referring particularly to the drawing, referl ence numeral ll denotes an electric motor employed for driving a high-speed centrifugal suction producing fan mountedwithin fan casing ii, the exhaust outlet ofwhich is indicated at' i2. Aninlettcthefaniscov'eredbyaremovable transparent cap or valve II having an opening it communicatingwiththefanandasideopening ll communicating with the conduit I. or

throat leading to the suction chamber of the floor tool or nozzle II, which tool may be made removable if desired.

The fan motor il may besupplied with currentthroughaninlet ltbymeansof'asuitabie conductor cord, not shown, and the motor casing is also shown as provided with an outlet plug ll from which current may be supplied through a detachable connector II to a separate motor 2| driving a brush or other positive'surface engaging member 22, within the noaaie i'l, through suitable driving means a, herein'shown .8 a

belt which through the rear wall .of the nozzle. It willbenotedthatthemotor II is compactly arranged beneath the upwardly and rearwardly extending throat it. and betweenthe nonle l1 and fan motor ll.- As shown, cham- 9 bered arms orcastings I, II extend-rearwardly from the main casting, one of said receiving the belt wheel 2! on one end of the motor shaft. Ordinarily but one belt will be necessary, but;

the second projection 24 "is preferably made 35 identical with the one which receives the belt wheel, thus lending balanceto the structure. The brush motor 2i may,="if desired, be removably supported between the two projecting arms or castings. This motor may be removed, if

desired, for the purpose of repair, cleaning, etc. It should be noted in the'arrangement hereinset forth themotor ll willbefullyprotected from shockorblom beingsupported above the floor by the bracket arm I, and being protectedinfrontand sle i1 and fan motor, and being protected above by the throat It, all of which elements'are of very substantial constructionl; Bymeans of this protectionthe bracket'arms It, are mcient, support for the motor II which thus is readily accessible for cleaning, oiling or repair. The entire arrangement is: convenient. compact and economical. It i'salso to be noted that the inventor contemplates thatv the nomieor floor .2 together with the throat portion It may be removable from the body of the cleaner including the fan casing, as illustrated, for example, in my Patent No. 1,912,386 dated June 6, 1933, and in my Patent 2,120,260, dated June 14, 1938.

As sho'wn,- the apparatus isvresiliently supported by two pairs of rollers, one pair 23, 20 being carried by the castings ll, 24 and the other pair 21, 21 by the casing of the fan motor |3.'

Where it is desired to employ the apparatus for purposes other than cleaning floors the cap 13 may be removed and an auxiliary connector 33 inserted in place thereof. This connector, as shown, is formed at one erd of a flexible hose II, the opposite end of which I! may serve as a nozzle, or if desired, a further extension member 33 may be eonnectedat thereduced end M of the nozzle through an attaching member 33.- Any number of extension devices may be secured together in this manner so as to reach the desired location, as for example, the walls or ceiling of a room or the furniture or other contents of the room. The extension members may be similar to those disclosed in my prior Patent No.

1,533,271, dated April 14, 1925.

Dust laden air from the floor tool or from the auxiliary cleaning attachment may be directed through the discharge outlet 12 through suitable connections, herein shown as including a swiveled 1. member 23 and a detachable thimble or deflector 23, extending into a reduced inlet mouth 33 of a suitable dust collector 3 I. The dust collector is preferably composed of porous paper and may be suitably reinforced, if desired, in a manner disclosed in my prior patents and applications, see for example my Patent No. 1,416,878, dated May 23, 1922, and my Patent 2,123,913, dated July 19, 1938. The reinforcement, where employed, may take the form of an outer removable cover or may be integral with the bag. The connections between the bag mouth and the bag discharge outlet I2 may be of any suitable type, such as disclosed for example in my prior patents and applications, see for instance my Patent No. 2.009,455, dated July 30, 1935, and my Patent 2,123,912, dated July 19, 1938.

As shown, the bag 3i is supported within a wire framework designated generally by the reference letter A, which serves as a handle for the portable cleaner. The frame is light in weight, inexpensive in construction, and serves to support the bag when inflated in such a manner as to prevent strain thereon, particularly during the operation of raising and lowering the handle.

The frame A may be composed of a plurality of rods constructed of umbrella steel or otlnr suitable material. As shown, the frame includes an upper pair of rods 32 having eye portions 33, 33 at one end thereof removably and hingedly connected to bracket members 34, 34 mounted on conduit members l2 and 23 respectively. It will be noted that the axis of rotation of the swiveled member 23 is substantially in alignment with the ends of the brackets 34, 34. The rods 32, 32 being resilient and springy can easily be applied to the brackets, and when so applied there is no danger of accidental removal, but when desired they can be easily taken 011, thus separating the entire handle portion from the body of the cleaner by spreading the eyes laterally to clear the pivots.

At the rear the rods 32, 32 are retained by a collar 33 into the opposite end of which fits a grip or handle 33. Also extending from the collar 36 in a forward direction are a pair of lower frame members or wires 31, 31, which are supported at their opposite ends by a front frame 33 which connects with the upper frame and is likewise preferably composed of resilient wires. This front frame is so constructed as to support the front of thebag in such a manner as to relieve strain, I particularly when the bag is inflated. The numeral 33 designates an extension member, herein shown as attached to the front frame, which serves as an abutment and provides a stop so that by pressing down on the handle the abutmeat 33 will be caused to engage the motor casing and on further application of pressure the floor tool may be tilted upwardly about the rear rollers 21 as a fulcrum.

It will be obvious that when the bag is inflated as it will be when dust laden air is entering the same from the dust discharge outlet, the bag will be supported within the frame in such a manner as to avoid all strains. The frame may accordingly replace other reinforcement of the bag if desired, permitting the use of a plain porous bag.

The rear end of the bag is shown as provided with a clip 43 to which is attached a suitable flexible connector I, the other end of which is attached to a book 42 which may extend from the grip portion 33. The length of the connector I may be adjusted as desired, or this member may be in the form of a spring so that the bag will be held under constant tension of any desired degree. Obviously by screwing the hook 42 inwardly or outwardly, the degree of tension may be varied as desired.

The bag supporting means herein described is claimed in my Patent 2,085,042.

I claim:

1. A portable electric suction cleaner and sweeper comprising a floor tool provided with a suction nozzle chamber, a rotary agitator disposed within the suction chamber, a throat extendingupwardly and rearwardly therefrom, a fan casing at the upper end of the throat provided with a fan motor extending downwardly and rearwardly of the said fan casing and a separate agitator driving motor disposed within the space between the fan motor and the suction chamber.

2. A portable electric suction cleaner as set forth in claim 1, including a chamber extending from said suction nozzle chamber to said driving motor, and driving means extending from said motor to said agitator through said chamber.

3. In a portable electric suction cleaner and carpet sweeper, a floor'tool casing, a throat extending upwardly -and rearwardly therefrom, a fan casing at the end of the throat remote from the floor tool casing, and a fan motor casing extending downwardly and rearwardly from the fan casing. said floor tool casing. throat, fan casing and motor casing providing a protected space beneath the throat and between the floor tool casing and motor casing, a rotary agitator housed within the floor tool casing, and an agitator motor for driving the rotary agitator wholly mounted within said protected space.

4. In a portable electric suction cleaner and carpet sweeper, a floor tool casing, a throat extending upwardly and rearwardly therefrom, a fan casing at the end of the throat remote from the floor tool casing, and a fan motor casing extending downwardly and rearwardly from the fan casing, said floor tool casing, throat, fan casing and motor casing being rigidly connected, and providing a protected space beneath the throat and between the floor tool casing and motor cas- ,ing, a rotary agitator housed within the floor tool casing, and an agitator motor for driving the rotary agitator wholly mounted within said protected space.

5. A portable electric suction cleaner and sweeper, comprising a floor tool suction nozzle, a rotatable agitator mounted within the nozzle, a motor actuated suction producing ian mounted adjacent to but at the'rear of the suction nozzle and spaced therefrom and having its motor extending downwardly from the fan casing, a throat connecting the nozzle and the fan casing, an independent motor occupying the space beneath said throat intermediate said nozzle and said fan motor, a pair of bracket arms extending rearwardly from the nozzle and supporting the ends or the motor shaft, and a driving belt for said agitator actuated by said independent motor.

6. A portable electric suction cleaner and sweeper, comprising a floor tool suction nozzle, a rotary agitator therein, a throat extending upwardly and rearwardly from the nozzle, a ran case at the upper end of said threat, a fan motor extending downwardly and rearwardly from the fan case, bracket arms extending rearwardly from the suction nozzle one on each side of the throat, an agitator driving motor occupying the space between the fan motor and the nozzle, and having the ends of its shaft mounted within the bracket arms, and a driving belt for said agitator actuated by said motor.

7. A portable electric suction cleaner and sweeper, comprising a floor tool suction nozzle, a rotary agitator therein, a throat extending up- 'wardly and rearwardly from the nozzle, a fan case at the upper end of said throat, a fan motor extending downwardly and rearwardly from the Ian case, bracket arms extending rearwardly from the suction nozzle one on each side of the throat, an agitator driving motor occupying the space between the fan motor and the nozzle, and having the ends of its shaft mounted within the bracket arms, and a driving belt for said agitator actuated by said last named motor and extending tin'ough the rear wall of said nozzle, at least one 01 said bracket arms being chambered and housing the portion of said driving belt which is outside the nozzle.

DANIEL BENSON REPLOGLE. 25 

